Pokemon Down Under
by Aaron Mason
Summary: The stories of Pokemon travel to Australia (yeah, i know it sounds a lot like the Orange league stuff, but hey, I tried!)
1. A Ride Ruined By The Rocket

Pokemon in Australia  
  
Welcome back to the wonderous world of Pokémon. A world of opportunity, learning and discovery.  
Ash, Misty, and Brock are in Professor Oak's Lab.  
  
Professor Oak was in the day room. He looked like he was in deep thought. Ash, Misty and  
Brock approached him.  
  
"Is something wrong?" asked Ash.  
  
"Are you OK?" asked Misty.  
  
"Are you feeling all right?" asked Brock  
  
"Thank you for asking, I am in a bit of deep thought," replied Oak.  
  
"What about?" inquired Ash.  
  
"Well, I have a friend who lives far away from here, who has found some interesting pokemon.  
I'd normally go and see it, but its a very long way away and I just haven't the time."  
  
There was a moment of silence between all.  
  
"Hey! I know!" said Oak. "How would you three like to do some travelling?"  
  
"Sure would!" replied Misty.  
  
"This friend of mine lives in a land called Australia." Oak showed them a map of Australia.  
"This land is the only country with its own continent. Its got a warm climate and it has some  
very interesting pokemon on it."  
  
"Cool," said Brock. "I've heard of that place. I hear there's pokemon running along the   
streets of the cities."  
  
"What about you, Ash?" asked Oak.  
  
"Hmm...... OK! Count me in!" said Ash.  
  
"Great! I'll book the flight straight away!"  
  
Australia?? Hmm, looks like we're in for another exciting adventure.. goodness, I'm repeating  
myself.  
  
(-o-)  
  
About a week later, the time to leave came. Ash, Misty and Brock were checking into the  
airport.  
  
"Here's your tickets, Mr Ketchum," said the lady at the check-in counter. "Your flight to  
Sydney will be boarding at gate three."  
  
"Thank you, miss," said Ash. He turned to his friends. "C'mon guys! We're going to AUSTRALIA!"  
  
(-o-)  
  
Ash's mother, Professor Oak and a number of other familiar faces from Pallet Town were there  
to see them off.  
  
"Bye Ash!" shouted Ash's mother. "Don't forget to change your you-know-what!"  
  
"Mom!" shouted Ash.  
  
"Sorry, it is important, you know."  
  
"I know. Bye mom!"  
  
Ash handed his ticket to the flight attendant. She ripped the end off it and handed it back.  
"Enjoy your flight, sir," she said.  
  
Ash, Misty and Brock found their seats, and sat in them. A couple of flight attendants gave  
a presentation about flight safety. After that, the plane began to run down the runway, then  
took off, leaving the island of Kanto behind them.  
  
About five minutes later, an announcement came on the loudspeaker inside the plane.  
  
"Hello, this is your captain speaking. We are cruising at about 30,000 feet. I have turned off  
the 'Fasten Seatbelt' sign, and you may wander freely in the cabin. I must ask, however, that  
you keep your seatbelt fastened in your seat, should we run into unexpected turbulence. The  
Flight to Sydney will take approximately 19 hours."  
  
"19 HOURS?!?!?" shouted Ash.  
  
"Yes, 19 hours." Everybody laughed. "Please enjoy your flight, and if you have any problems,  
please don't hesitate to ask one of our experienced flight attendants."  
  
Ash and his friends spent the next few hours wasting the hours away. Suddenly a familiar voice  
came on the loudspeaker.  
  
"Prepare for trouble!"  
  
"And make that double!"  
  
"I'd know that voice anywhere!" yelled Misty. "That's Team Rocket!"  
  
"To protect the world from devastation!"  
  
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"  
  
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"  
  
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"  
  
"Jessie!"  
  
"James!"  
  
"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"  
  
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"  
  
"Meeeeeyowth! That's right!"  
  
"Oh no, not them again!" whined Misty.  
  
"What do they want now?" wondered Brock.  
  
Team Rocket - Jessie, James and Meowth - appeared at the end of the corridor.  
  
"All right, you all know the deal!" yelled Jessie.  
  
"Hand over all your pokémon!" continued James.  
  
There was a few moments of silence. Then everyone in the cabin roared in laughter.  
  
"How dare you find us funny!" retorted James.  
  
"You're supposed to be scared of us!" yelled Jessie.  
  
"You don't scare anyone anymore!" laughed Ash.  
  
Meowth walked up to Ash, claws out, and scratched him on the face.  
  
"Aaauugh!" screamed Ash, holding his face in agony.  
  
"Well? Are you going to give us your pokémon?" asked Jessie.  
  
"Not a chance!" yelled someone up the back.  
  
"Very well. James, hand us our new weapon."  
  
James handed Jessie what looked like a metal detector.  
  
"This is a super strong magnet," announced Jessie.  
  
"We made it ourselves," said James.  
  
Jessie turned it on. Suddenly, the plane began to shake.  
  
"We appear to be experiencing some turbulence. Please be prepared to brace yourselves."  
  
The plane began to go downward, and Team Rocket were thrown down the aisle.  
  
"Turn it off, Jessie!" pleaded James, "its stuffing up the plane!"  
  
Jessie turned it off, and everything went to normal. Luckily, there was an Officer Jenny  
on board the plane. She put handcuffs on them and tied them together.  
  
"Are we going to wait until we land to take care of these?" asked Ash.  
  
"Maybe, but we can send them off in style," Jenny said, with a wink.  
  
"She doesn't mean-" started Jessie.  
  
"I think she does!" whined James.  
  
Jenny and Ash entered the cockpit.  
  
"Is it possible to get rid of Team Rocket here?" asked Jenny.  
  
"Yes," said the captain, "but not at this altitude. We'll have to drop down a bit."  
  
The captain turned on the plane loudspeaker.  
  
"Attention, this is your captain speaking. We are going to drop down to 10,000 feet in order  
to get rid of Team Rocket. We may experience a bit of turbulence, but it will be over  
momentarily."  
  
The nose of the plane pointed down, and the plane began to drop. Screams and cries were to be  
heard from the cabin. When the plane reached 10,000 feet, the plane levelled out.  
  
"Ok, do it now," said the captain.  
  
Ash, Misty, Brock and Jenny opened the side door. They then pushed Team Rocket out.  
  
Team rocket fell towards the ground, shouting, "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"  
  
The rest of the flight was peaceful, except that someone up the back really snored. The   
plane landed without a hitch.  
  
Ash, Misty and Brock walked into the waiting area at Sydney Airport. A man in a suit approached  
them.  
  
"Are you Ash, Misty and Brock?" he asked.  
  
"Yes," said Ash, "that's us."  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, mate. I'm Professor Eucalypt, and Professor Oak sent you about  
the pokémon, right?"  
  
"Yes, he did."  
  
"Follow me to my car. I'll take you to my lab."  
  
They went to the collection carosels and collected their bags. As they left the terminal,  
they realised that, despite what they had heard, there was not a pokémon to be seen.  
  
"I heard there were pokemon roaming the streets," said Brock, "but there isn't one to be   
seen here."  
  
"That's just a silly rumour, Brock," said Eucalypt. "People overseas seem to think we are   
really primitive, but thats not true at all."  
  
They got into his car, and fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the lab. They walked into   
the lab, and sat down in the Day Room.  
  
"Wait right here, I'll be back in a few minutes." said Eucalypt.  
  
A few minutes later, he returned with some sheets of paper inside a plastic bag.  
  
"Allow me to show you the pokemon," he said. He pulled out a picture of a creature that looked  
reminiscent to a bear, but had a short snout.  
  
"This one is called 'Koalabere'," he said. "It's one of the native pokémon here. It feeds  
on the leaves of the Eucalypt tree."  
  
He pulled out a picture of a pokémon that looked like a Kangaskhan that had been through  
the wash.  
  
"This one is called 'Joeskhan'. It's the young of the Kangaskhan, and doesn't leave  
the mother's pouch for a whole year."  
  
He pulled out another picture. This one looked like a yellow dog.  
  
"This one is called 'Din-go'. It's a native pokémon here. They were once subject to  
culling, but then people realised they could be captured from the wild and trained for  
pokémon battles."  
  
He pulled out another picture. This one was quite grotesque.  
  
"This one is called 'Bunyip'. It's native talk for 'Odd mythical creature', and it  
sure fits, because its one of the rarest native pokémon I've found."  
  
He placed the pictures into the bag and handed the bag to Ash.  
  
"Take good care of these, and make sure they get to Professor Oak safely."  
  
"I will," said Ash. "May I call Professor Oak, please?"  
  
"Certainly, the phone is in my lab, and his number is programmed into the speed-dial."  
  
Ash found Oak's number in the speed-dial list, and a few moments later, he answered.  
  
"Oh, hello, Ash!" said Oak. "I see you made it to Australia safely."  
  
"Sure did," said Ash, "it's a nice place. I have the information and I will have it to you  
as soon as possible."  
  
"Good work, Ash." The buzzer rang. "Oh, that would be my pizza. Coming!" Oak disappeared for  
a few moments, then returned.  
  
"It's been nice talking to you Ash, and I will see you soon. Mmmm, anchovies and chicken  
-Click-"  
  
"Hey Ash, want to go and get something to eat?" asked Misty.  
  
"Sure would!" said Ash. "I'm starving!"  
  
"Mind if I come, too?" asked Eucalypt. "My shout."  
  
"Cool!" said Misty.  
  
"Great!" said Brock.  
  
"Thank you!" said Ash.  
  
(-o-)  
  
At a local restraunt, Ash was digging in, as usual.  
  
"Mmm, this is good!" said Ash.  
  
A waiter approached the table where they were sitting. He placed the bill on the table and  
then looked at Ash.  
  
"Hey, I've seen you before," he said. "You won the Orange League competition, didn't you?"  
  
"Yes," said Ash. "I did."  
  
"Congratulations, mate!" He held his hand out to Ash.  
  
"Thank you." Ash shook hands with the waiter.  
  
"I reckon you could take on the Oz League."  
  
"The Oz league?"  
  
"Yeah, its a pokémon league here. You travel all over Australia and compete in the gyms in  
the capital cities. There's a competition held every year in our country's capital, Canberra."  
  
"Cool, I'd like to give it a go."  
  
"Ash!" said Misty. "We should get that information back to Professor Oak first!"  
  
"Maybe we can ask him."  
  
(-o-)  
  
When they got home, Ash called Oak again. A few rings later, Oak answered.  
  
"Hello again, Ash," said Oak. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"I have something to ask you," said Ash.  
  
"Sure, go ahead."  
  
"While I'm here, I'd like to compete in the Oz League."  
  
"The Oz league? Hmmm... well, there is nothing I can do to stop you, really."  
  
"Yes!!"  
  
"Although I am a bit anxious to read those files, but it is important you get into some  
rigorous training."  
  
"Ok, which reminds me, I should find out what 'rigorous' means, too. Thank you!"  
  
"You're welcome, Ash. And good luck. -Click-"  
  
And so, our heros set out on another adventure. Who knows what challenges and excitement await  
them. But whatever you do, Ash, look after those files!  
  
- To be continued... - 


	2. Gym In The City

Gym In The City  
---------------  
  
Last time, our heroes travelled to the country of Australia to do an  
errand for Professor Oak. Ash discovered that there was a pokémon   
league in Australia and decided to compete in it. Now a whole new  
pokémon journey begins.  
  
(-o-)  
  
It was a beautiful day for a walk. The sun was shining, and Ash was in  
a good mood.  
  
"What a beautiful day!" cried Ash.  
  
"It sure is!" said Misty.  
  
"Where is the first gym, Brock?" asked Ash.  
  
Brock had the map in his hand. He opened it.  
  
"According to this map, the next gym is just up this road," he said.  
  
"And how far is that?" asked Misty, preparing for what Brock said next.  
  
Brock looked at the map. "A fair way yet."  
  
"Awwwwww," groaned Misty and Ash together.  
  
"Maybe we can take a shortcut," suggested Ash.  
  
"NO!" screamed Misty and Brock.  
  
"Last time we did that, we got lost!" Misty advised.  
  
"Right, so we should follow this road," said Ash.  
  
"That would be the best idea," said Brock.  
  
(-o-)  
  
An hour later, Misty felt like she could just drop.  
  
"I'm exausted!" complained Misty.  
  
"Me too," said Ash.  
  
"I'm sure its not too much further," said Brock.  
  
Suddenly, a pokémon appeared out of some bushes. Ash instinctively  
reached for Dexter.  
  
"There is no data," Dexter simply said.  
  
"Ash! Maybe this is one of the pokémon Professor Eucalypt told us about,"  
Misty suggested.  
  
"Yeah, lets take a look at those files," said Ash.  
  
They looked through the files, and found that it was Din-go. The files also  
stated that Din-go had a weakness to grass- and electric-types.  
  
"This will be perfect!" Ash said. "Pikachu! I choose you!"  
  
"Pikachu!" said Pikachu.  
  
The pokémon and the trainer took their standing positions.  
  
"Pikachu, quick attack!"  
  
"Piikaa-chu!" Pikachu yelled, as he carried out the Quick attack with  
great speed and agility. The Din-go was taken quite aback by this, and  
lurched out and bit Pikachu's tail.  
  
"Piiiikkaaaaaaa!" yelped Pikachu.  
  
"Go Pikachu, thunder attack, now!"  
  
"Piii-kaaaaaaaa-chuuuuuuu!!!" cried Pikachu, as he carried out the Thunder  
attack with great flair.  
  
"Howwwwll!!" cried Din-go, collapsing to the ground.  
  
"All right, pokéball, go!" cried Ash as he hurled the pokéball towards  
the weakened Din-go. The ball hit Din-go, opened up and sucked it in.  
The ball wobbled around for a few moments. Ash clenched his fist as if  
he was about to punch the concrete battleground upon which he stood. The   
ball stopped shaking, and the light on the ball's button turned off.  
  
"Yeeeesss! I caught Din-go!" Ash made a "peace" symbol with his hand.  
  
"Pika pi-ka!" called Pikachu, doing likewise.  
  
"Well done, Ash!" said Misty.  
  
"Nice work," called Brock.  
  
Ash put the pokéball on his belt. This was a proud moment.  
  
"Hey!" A distant voice called.  
  
A man emerged from the bushes.  
  
"Maaate, that was fantastic!" he said. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"  
  
"I've been a trainer for a while," said Ash.  
  
"Cool! Where are you from?"  
  
"Kanto Island."  
  
"Hey, I know you! You won the Orange League, and the Johto league, right?"  
  
"Sure did."  
  
"That is way cool, mate! I reckon you'd be the right stuff for the Oz league   
for sure!"  
  
"Yeah, we're headed for a gym now."  
  
"You headed for the gym in the city? Cool, you wanna know about the leader,  
mate?"  
  
"Sure, OK."  
  
"She's a chick, see, and she raises beaut water pokémon, see. You've got a  
Pikachu, I see. It shouldn't be too much of a hassle. But I would not think  
her too lighty if I was you."  
  
"I'm sure you've learnt your lesson from that, right Ash?" laughed Misty.  
  
Ash went a bit red in the face.  
  
"Its cool, mate, you gotta do stuff like that, its really the best way to  
learn." The man held out his hand. "The name's Lyle."  
  
Ash shook his hand. "I'm Ash, and I'm gonna become a pokémon master!"  
  
Misty shook his hand, too. "I'm Misty, and I'm gonna be the best everything."  
  
Brock did as well. "I'm Brock, and I'm gonna become a pokémon breeder."  
  
"Sweet! Hey Ash, that Pikachu looks worn out. I'll take ya to the pokémon  
center."  
  
"Ok," said Ash. "Lets go!"  
  
(-o-)  
  
Ash placed his pokéballs on the desk before the Joy there.  
  
"Hello Ash," said Nurse Joy.  
  
"How did you know my name?" inquired Ash.  
  
"I've heard of you from my Second Cousin, the Azalea Town Joy.  
Very nice things. And congratulations for winning the Johto  
league, as well."  
  
"Thank you!"  
  
A few minutes later, the pokémon returned. "Here you go, come  
again!"  
  
They left the center, with their eyes set on the gym, which was a few metres away,  
not even that.  
  
"Wow, the gym and the pokémon center are pretty close," Ash noticed.  
  
"Its league policy that a pokémon gym and a pokémon center may be no further  
than 40 metres apart," said Lyle.  
  
"Well, let's go!"  
  
(-o-)  
  
The gym had a large sign in front of it: "Homebush Bay Gym". There was a large  
Totodile behind the sign. There were inspirations of awe.  
  
"Awwwwwwwwww," said Ash, Misty, Brock and Lyle.  
  
Err, I said awe - A-W-E.  
  
"Ooooooooooh," they said.  
  
Much better.  
  
The Homebush Bay gym in Sydney was well organised. To the left were the aquariums,   
where all kinds of water pokémon were on display. Inside was a man feeding them.   
And to the right was the pool in which pokémon battles were held. There was a  
battle in progress. They went up and sat in the stands to watch it.  
  
"Right, Totodile, finish it off with HYDRO BLAST!" commanded the gym leader.  
  
"To-to-diiiiiiile!!" screamed the Totodile, launching an impressive hydro blast  
attack  
  
"Mreeeow!" yowled the Persian, before it collapsed.  
  
"The winner of this match is the team of Ashley and Totodile!"  
  
"Nice battle," said Ashley.  
  
"Thanks," said the challenger. "I'll be back later for another!"  
  
"Bye!" Ashley noticed Ash. "Hey, another challenger!"  
  
"Hi," said Ash. He turned to see Brock's funny look. "Don't tell me..."  
  
"Aaaah," moaned Brock. "She's beautiful!"  
  
"She's outta your reach, Brock, mate," said Lyle, "She's already taken."  
  
"I don't care, she's pretty."  
  
Misty rolled her eyes.  
  
"Never mind him," said Ash, "I'm Ash, and I am challenging you to a battle!"  
  
"I'm Ashley, and I accept your challenge," said the gym leader. "Let's  
get this underway, then, shall we?"  
  
(-o-)  
  
"We now begin the battle of Ash vs. Ashley for the Splash Badge. The match  
will be played to PokéOz rules, which are as follows: three pokémon each,   
no time limit," said the referee. "Let the battle begin!"  
  
A scoreboard lit up above the battlefield. To the left was a picture of  
Ash. To the right was a picture of Ashley. There were three uncoloured  
tabs under each picture. The scoreboard looked a lot like the ones used  
in the other pokémon league competitions he competed in before.  
  
"Chikolita, I choose you!" commanded Ash, throwing the pokéball containing  
Chikolita. The ball opened, revealing Chikolita.  
  
"Chikoo!" cried Chikolita.  
  
"And I choose Wooper!" commanded Ashley.  
  
"Woopa!" cried Wooper.  
  
"Chikolita, tackle attack now!"  
  
"Chikoo!" cried the pokémon as it tackled the Wooper.  
  
"Wooper, water gun now!"  
  
"Uu--paa!" cried Wooper, as he blasted Chikolita with water.  
  
"Chikolita, vine whip!"  
  
The vine whip failed. The Wooper was too fast for Chikolita.  
  
"Ok, Wooper, get it with a headbutt!"  
  
"Chikolita, razor leaf attack."  
  
"Chiiiiiikoooooo!" It launched such a magnificent razor leaf, that it prevented  
the headbutt, and knocked Wooper out.  
  
"Wooper is unable to battle, the winner is Ash!"  
  
A tab was coloured in below Ash's picture.  
  
Ashley spent a few moments thinking about what she would do next.  
  
"Ok! Go Squirtle!" she commanded.  
  
"Squirtle!!" cried Squirtle as it emerged from its pokéball.  
  
"Squirtle, skull bash!"  
  
Squirtle carried out the skull bash very well. Its hit knocked Chikolita  
to the floor.  
  
"Chii-koo," cried Chicolita, weakly.  
  
"Hang in there, Chicolita," called Ash.  
  
Ash was in deep thought. Could Chicolita do it? Should he call Chicolita back?  
  
"Are you OK, Chicolita? Should I call you back?"  
  
"Chii-koo!" yelled Chicolita, in disagreement.  
  
"Ok! Razor Leaf attack, now!"  
  
"Chii!! Koo!!! Chii!! Koo!!!" The Squirtle was taken quite aback by this sudden  
improvement.  
  
"Now, finish it off with a vine whip!"  
  
"CHii-koooooo!" The vine whip Ash carried out knocked the Squirtle about quite  
a bit.  
  
"Now, tackle!!"  
  
"CHiii-Koooooo!!" Squirtle was knocked out by this blow.  
  
"Squirtle is unable to battle, Ash is the winner!"  
  
Another of Ash's tabs was coloured in.  
  
"I now choose Totodile!" called Ashley.  
  
"To-to-diiile!" cried Totodile.  
  
"Totodile, hydro pump now!"  
  
Totodile carried out an impressive hydro pump attack, it knocked Chicolita right  
off its feet.  
  
"Chicolita!"  
  
Chicolita looked like it was down and out. Just as the referee was about to raise  
the flag to determine victory of the set to Ashley, Chicolita stood up, barely able  
to stand.  
  
"Are you right there, Chicolita?"  
  
"Chii-koo!" called Chicolita.  
  
"Let's show them that attack I taught you before!"  
  
"What attack?" asked Misty.  
  
"I think Ash has a trick or two up his sleeve," stated Brock.  
  
"Go Chicolita, Solarbeam, now!!"  
  
Chicolita collected the energy from the sunlight coming in through some windows  
on the sides of the arena. Then Chicolita lauched a spectacular blast.  
  
"Chiii-kooooo!" Totodile was knocked out on the spot.  
  
"The winner is the team of Ash and Chicolita!" called the Referee.  
  
"Yeah, mate!" called Lyle.  
  
"Go Ash!!" yelled Misty.  
  
"Hooray for Ash!" cheered Brock.  
  
"Nice battle, Ash," said Ashley.  
  
(-o-)  
  
"It's my pleasure to present you with the Splash Badge," said Ashley. The badge  
looked like a cresting wave.  
  
"Yeah!" cried Ash. "I got my first badge!"  
  
"Hey, you're pretty cool, mate. You got a Pokégear?"  
  
"What's a Pokégear?"  
  
"You're from Kanto, aren't you? They haven't been released there yet. Its an  
addon for Pokédex. What's the model number of yours? It should be on the back."  
  
Ash turned over the Pokédex. He read out the model number "PO-8088".  
  
"Oh," said Ashley. "Yours is a bit old, has it ever been updated? What's the   
firmware version? Press the Green button then the red button to get that."  
  
Ash did so, and Dexter said: "I am Dexter, firmware version PO-80286"  
  
"Your Pokédex will need to be replaced if you want Pokégear."  
  
"What does it do?" Ash wanted to know.  
  
"Pokégear is an addon that allows someone to make and receive phone calls. You can   
even call Pokégear users from a normal phone."  
  
"Cool!"  
  
"If you ever do get it replaced, here's my number."  
  
Ashley handed a card to Ash. "Maybe we can organise something." Ashley winked after   
saying that.  
  
"Sure, maybe."  
  
(-o-)  
  
"Bye!" called Ash.  
  
"See you soon!" called Ashley.  
  
"Ash, I think Ashley has got a crush on you," said Misty.  
  
"What makes you think that?" asked Ash.  
  
"Are you dense? The winking, her giving you her number? Lé obvious!"  
  
"Oh man!" said Brock. "I notice her first, and you get her. That sucks!"  
  
"Ah well, maybe you can fantasise about Misty instead."  
  
Everybody laughed, but Misty.  
  
"Oh shut up, Ash. You still owe me a bike."  
  
And they wondered off into the sunset, on their next pokémon adventure!  
  
- To be continued... -  



	3. Mystery Of The Bunyip

Mystery Of The Bunyip  
  
It was a beautiful day, as our heroes walk through the great hunter valley, a half day walk from Sydney. And by the looks of things, it sure was worth the walk.  
  
"Smell the fresh air!" cried Misty.  
  
"Feel it rush through your hair!" cried Brock.  
  
"Livin' life without a care!" cried Lyle.  
  
"See the pokémon everywhere!" cried Ash.  
  
That was also true. There were pokémon everywhere, just waiting to be caught by a promising trainer.  
  
(-o-)  
  
Our heroes arrived in the small town of Medowie. They stopped off in the Pokémon Center there.  
  
It was dark, as the sun was slowly setting. They entered the Pokémon center and Ash placed his pokémon on the table.  
  
"Thank you, Ash," said the Joy there. "We'll have this lot healed in no time."  
  
"Thank you," replied Ash.  
  
Ash, Brock, Lyle and Misty sat down on a bench. Misty placed Togepi on the table and Brock poured out some of his pokémon food.  
  
Moments later, a bell rang. Ding Dong!  
  
Ash went and collected his pokémon. He placed Pikachu on the table and he joined Togepi in the eating of Brock's food.  
  
Ash's eyes wandered past a beautiful girl standing nearby to a poster on the wall that said "reward" in large letters.   
  
"Reward, eh?" he said. "Let's check it out!"  
  
The poster said:  
  
"REWARD  
  
BUNYIP ON THE LOOSE  
  
ROBBED FARM CROPS, ORCHARDS, AND HAS EATEN LEAVES OFF HARVEST TREES!  
  
LARGE REWARD FOR ITS CAPTURE - DEAD OR ALIVE!"  
  
On the poster was a large picture of a Bunyip. It was very hazy and dim. Like a close encounter of the blurred kind. (Joke, haha)  
  
"There's another one over here!" shouted Lyle from the other side of the Centre.  
  
Ash, Misty and Brock moved over to where the other poster was hanging.  
  
This picture of a bunyip was drawn by a child. It said:  
  
"WANTED: BAD BUNYIP  
  
$50 BZILLION REWARD!"  
  
"Never knew there was such a number as a bzillion," noted Ash.  
  
"Look Ash," said Misty. "It says: 'Winner of the Bunyip Wanted Poster Competition: Christie Jack'"  
  
Ash was dumbfounded. He did not like being made a fool.  
  
"People must really hate the Bunyip," said Misty.  
  
"That's right, sadly," interrupted Nurse Joy. "There are a lot of fruit orchards here, and they've been losing a lot of fruit lately, and they're blaming the bunyip for all the fruit that disappears."  
  
"Gee, thats not really fair," said Ash. "Hasn't anyone tried stayed up to see if it was the bunyip?"  
  
"Yes. They just fell asleep and assumed the Bunyip put them to sleep."  
  
Nurse Joy turned on the Megaphone. She spoke into it:  
  
"The Medowie Pokémon Centre is taking in visitors overnight, guys! We have enough blankets for all!"  
  
An uncountable number of people ran into the Pokemon Center at once. Nurse Joy started handing out blankets.   
  
She shouted: "Please stand clear of all tables!"  
  
A moment later, she pushed a button under the front desk and all the tables sunk and beds appeared in its place.  
  
She shouted: "Everybody move to the side walls please!"  
  
Everybody moved. She pushed another button and panels slid out on the floor and small beds rose in their place.  
  
Ash walked over to Joy. "Wow, this place is prepared for anything!"  
  
"Sure is!" said Joy. "You haven't seen the least of it! We have a bunker, a generator, surface-to-air missiles..."  
  
Ash, Misty, Brock and Lyle chose beds and everyone lay down to rest.  
  
"Lights out!" called Joy at 10pm.  
  
(-o-)  
  
The next day, the sun rose to a cloudless sky. It was a beautiful day.  
  
Everyone in the centre was aroused by a large crash outside. They rushed out to see what was the matter.  
  
"ARGH!!! THAT BLOODY BUNYIP! I'LL KILL IT!!! I'LL KILL IT!!!" screamed an outraged farmer kicking down everything he could see, including any people who got in the way. He was very angry.  
  
"Calm down," called out an Officer Jenny who happened to be passing by. The farmer calmed down. "Now tell me what happened."  
  
"That creature took half me trees! They were supposed to be harvested today! I'm ruined! RUINED!!!"  
  
He stomped off to his farm and slammed the gate angrily behind him. Ash and his friends decided to investigate.  
  
They surveyed the damage done to the farmer's paperbark tree crops. There were more than 700 trees left, and just as many holes were trees once were. No way could a creature cause this much damage. Not even a Bunyip.  
  
(-o-)  
  
It was decided: Ash, Misty, Brock and Lyle would camp out and see what it was. They found a place that hadn't been attacked yet and camped inside some nearby bushes where they couldn't be seen from the air.  
  
It was very late and Ash was just about to fall asleep when he heard voices.  
  
"Here's the next target."  
  
He knew that voice. It sounded a lot like James.  
  
"Fresh, juicy apples. The boss will be pleased."  
  
That voice was also familiar. It sounded like Jessie's  
  
"And maybe I'll be top cat!"  
  
Without a doubt, that was Meowth. Ash was about to take evasive action, but he thought otherwise.  
  
He decided to listen more.  
  
"Let's get the machinery. We'll wipe this crop clean!" came James' voice again  
  
There was a lot of whirring, when suddenly it stopped.  
  
"Wait! What if there's someone around?" asked Jessie.  
  
"Right. They can't know we're here. As long as they think its that dopey Bun...yummy (or whatever its called) we'll get away with it."  
  
"I'll get the sleep powder," said Meowth.  
  
"Try not to sprinkle it on yourself this time!" giggled James.  
  
A great slash was suddenly heard. Meowth obviously scratched James for bringing that up.  
  
After Team Rocket conducted a thourough search (and passed the tent several times without seeing it) Meowth said "Nobody's here, I'll put it away now."  
  
Some hours later, Team Rocket left, and sure enough, by morning the farmer who owned the apple orchard was in uproar, damaging whatever (and whoever) he could get his hands on.  
  
He nearly attacked our heroes in their tent, when suddenly he recognised Ash.  
  
"My deepest apologies, mate, did you happen to see that bunyip taking my apples?"  
  
"I didn't see the bunyip," reported Ash, "but I heard voices. Human voices."  
  
"Human voices?"  
  
"Yeah." Ash said no more on the subject and returned to the town centre, in some shock as to what he had discovered over the course of the night.  
  
But it came to him as little suprise. Paperbark was a type of tree that was only grown in Australia, and was kept in Australia. Team Rocket could take some back to Kanto and Johto and other places in the world, and they would be able to sell it and make a fortune! Apples weren't worth a great deal, but Australian apples were especially tasty, and would be worth a pretty penny elsewhere.  
  
The people of Medowie would be very angry, but none the wiser. They would all think it was the Bunyip doing it, and would never suspect Team Rocket.  
  
Ash thought it better not to tell anybody about it. But he had to tell his friends.  
  
"Team Rocket?" said Misty in surprise.  
  
"That makes a lot of sense," said Brock. "But why is everybody blaming the bunyip?"  
  
"Bunyips," explained Lyle, "are known in the native stories as creatures that aroused much mischief. They would steal food, knock down shelters and put hunters to sleep. People around here know these stories and naturally blame the Bunyip when something goes missing or gets damaged on their farms."  
  
"Ash, we have to tell someone!" cried Misty.  
  
"No," said Ash, "not until we get some solid proof. Even though it may be undeniable that Team Rocket did those crimes, people are still going to blame the Bunyip. We need some solid evidence that it's not the Bunyip."  
  
"But where are we going to get that?" asked Brock.  
  
"Well," said Lyle, "it just so happens that I have some sound recording equipment in my bag. Their voices may just be enough evidence to nail them."  
  
They camped out at another, unattacked farm, and Lyle, who had been in the Army and gained a lot of experience in hiding and camouflage, chose a careful position where they would not be seen, smelt or heard.  
  
Sure enough, Team Rocket were at it again. Ash turned the recording equipment on and it collected their entire conversation.  
  
"Mmmm, oranges!" came Jessie's voice. There was a sniffing sound. "Fresh and ripe, the boss will be very pleased!"  
  
"I have the sleep powder, there's a farmer up there." was voiced by James.  
  
There was a blowing noise, then the loud snoring came from the farmer.  
  
"Ok, we're clear," said Meowth.  
  
Much whirring was heard as Team Rocket stole as many oranges as their machine could pick.  
  
"OK, we've got enough," said Jessie.  
  
"Everybody's going to blame that silly Bun... whatever its called," said James.  
  
"Let's roll," said Meowth.  
  
When there was no more to be heard from them, Ash pushed the stop button on the recording equipment.  
  
"Gotcha," he said.  
  
(-o-)  
  
The next morning, Ash, Misty, Brock and Lyle were awakened by smashing coming from nearby. The farmer had seen the damage and was shouting every curse word under the sun at the Bunyip.  
  
Ash leaped from the tent. "Hey mister!"  
  
"I'M GONNA KILL THAT BLOODY BUNYIP! LET ME AT 'IM! LET ME AT 'IM!" screamed the farmer.  
  
"It wasn't the bunyip! We have proof!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
Everyone in town was interested to hear the proof that Lyle presented.  
  
"We have to stop them! We have only one working farm left!" cried Officer Jenny.  
  
"YEAH!" yelled the farmers simultaneously.  
  
"But we can't just roll on in and stop them!" yelled one man. "They've got all sorts of reinforcements!"  
  
"There is one lifeline," said Misty, "these guys that are doing it are pretty dopey. They dug a hole for us to fall into and they forgot where it was, and they fell into it themselves."  
  
The crowd roared with laughter.  
  
"We can probably give them a taste of their own medicine," said Lyle, "dig them a hole to fall into."  
  
There was an agreed consensus amongst the townspeople.  
  
What the town of Medowie weren't aware of was that a soldier from Team Rocket had recorded this, and was on his way back to TR headquarters, which was in a hole underground several miles from town.  
  
"They're planning an ambush for you guys," he warned Jessie and James.  
  
"They'll wish they never thought of that," said Jessie.  
  
"We'll show them what happens when they mess with us," said James.  
  
That night, in a strategically placed tent near the farm that hadn't been attacked yet, where a hole had been placed for Team Rocket to fall into. Ash and his friends were watching from the tent.  
  
A rock rolled across a pathway, towards the hole. The rock caused the hole to be revealled.  
  
"Oh no, they found the hole!" whispered Misty in desperation.  
  
Jessie and James came past, armed with flamethrowers.  
  
"Time to show them what happens when they mess with Team Rocket," said Jessie.  
  
"Let's make it flamingly clear," said James, chuckling at his own joke.  
  
Jessie and James were torching the last farm. Ash had to do something.  
  
"No!" cried Misty, "you can't!"  
  
But Ash had had enough. He had three nearly sleepless nights in a row and he wasn't about to let Team Rocket get away with this.  
  
He jumped out of the tent. "Hey!" he shouted.  
  
"What's this?" asked Jessie.  
  
"The brat!" exclaimed James.  
  
Meowth emerged from bushes nearby, a flamethrower in hand. "You're toast!"  
  
Ash began to stumble backwards, three flamethrowers aimed in his direction. He was most definitely a goner.  
  
Suddenly, without warning a beast emerged from nearby bushes. Ash instantly recognised it as.. "A Bunyip!"  
  
The Bunyip jumped in between Ash and Team Rocket. Jessie, James and Meowth Stood ready, and fired their flamethrowers. It didn't even scratch the pokémon. The Bunyip swung its tail and sent Team Rocket sky-high.  
  
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"  
  
The commotion had aroused the whole town. They were massed on a nearby hill. They all cheered loudly. Everyone came to meet the Bunyip, who was actually quite a tame creature.  
  
(-o-)  
  
The next day, our heroes were thanked by the farmers for showing them the err of their ways.  
  
"We salute you!" said Officer Jenny.  
  
"Aww," said Ash, blushing. "It's no big deal."  
  
The heroes left the town with smiles on their faces. They had seen a Bunyip, one of the rarest pokémon in existance. They had saved a town from ruin at the hands of Team Rocket. All in all it had been a good stay at Medowie, but they had to move on. The next gym was in Brisbane, and it was a long way there!  
  
- To be continued... - 


End file.
